The Araluen Vampire
by DarkArmedRanger
Summary: When Darren died for the second time, he was supposed to go to paradise. However, he has woken up in a strange land with a note from Evanna. Can he become a ranger and save this land? Or will he be stuck there foreverm and never able to go to paradise?
1. Prologue

**This is my first attempt at a crossover, so don't be too harsh with your criticism. Original plot lines may be tweaked slightly, but this is mainly just me testing out a fun idea I had.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story, except for most of the events which occur and the plot line and possibly some OCs if I can be bothered with them.**

Prologue

Darren Shan PoV

It was peaceful, dying that second time, with the knowledge of going to paradise. At least that's what I thought. It was as though I'd merely been asleep, only I woke in a strange land that I didn't recognise, with no-one that I recognised.

I started to take in my surroundings, before realising I had a bag on my back. I looked inside and found a change of clothes, and a note. It was from Evanna. I opened it up and started to read:

_Darren,_

_Yes, I did know that this would happen, but I don't know why. Now you are in this other world, I can communicate freely with you. I do not have much power over the world you're in; I can only send messages like this one, and that reaches the limits of my power. Luckily for you, however, it's pretty much the same for our father, Destiny._

_I don't know much, but I can tell you what I do know. You have been sent here instead of paradise for reasons I cannot fathom, but I have been informed that it is a place called Araluen and they are in grave need of your help. Apparently, you are to become a 'ranger' (whatever that is) and save the land of Araluen, and then when you die you will be definitely sent to paradise._

_I am sorry I could not tell you before, but you know how it is. Our father and I are both restricted by laws older than time itself. Luck, Darren Shan._

_Evanna_

_P.S. Since this world is different to ours, you will not be hit by the purge and will remain as a half-vampire. So this means you will be able to go out in the day. Of course, if any full-vampires were in this world they could blood you, if you wanted them to. I somehow doubt that though. Oh, and by the way, be careful, being half-vampire, you could accidentally blood someone by mixing blood with them. Best stay away from that._

Her words left me with so many unanswered questions, it was unbelievable. She had been informed? By whom? How do I become a ranger? And have I retained my vampire abilities? A simple test could check that last one. I dug my nails into a nearby tree and managed to gouge a chunk out. 'Guess I did then' I thought.

I didn't have a need for blood; I'd fed just before I became a little person. I headed through to the edge of the forest and saw a small village, deciding to head towards it.

It seemed to me that this world was similar to the medieval times in our own world; there were castles and markets and guards in armour with weapons such as swords. I was just pondering this when I turned the corner and saw the inn. It was on fire. A man was laughing like a maniac, lit torch in one hand. People were fleeing the scene in sheer terror.

At first I thought that everyone had managed to get out. However, I then heard cries coming from a top-floor window. It was a woman, with two young children. I noticed a man in a strange cloak which made him almost invisible start towards the inn to help. He obviously had spotted the woman too. However, as I started towards the inn, he seemed to pause for a moment, before deciding to let me handle this.

I noticed he had knocked out the crazy guy using the hilt of some sort of knife. I had no time to dwell on it, however, as I had lives to save. Using my vampiric abilities to full advantage, I scaled the wooden building in no time. Luckily the fire hadn't quite caught the walls on this side yet.

I smashed the window and got into the room, and the woman shrieked with delight.

"Please, my children, take them first," she choked. My smoke was obviously affecting her much worse than me. I thought she must have allergies. Anyway, I did what she said, grabbing her two young children around the waist; one looked about 6, the other 10; and I just about managed to haul both of them outside the broken window at once.

I went back up as soon as they were safely on the ground; I grabbed her and got her over to the window. I got her to the ground as quickly as possible, and then heard cries coming from the OTHER side of the building; the side where the fire was. I sighed and went back inside.

After my trials of initiation I knew techniques to survive against fire, I covered my hair with non-flammable material and ran through the fire. I was nowhere near as badly burnt as a human would have been; being a half-vampire, I'm much tougher than most. I got inside and found the source of the cries; it was another woman, but this time with a baby.

She was sobbing and on the verge of death, and to my horror surrounded by a ring of fire. I barged through the flames, really testing how much I could endure.

"I...know I am going to die here," she croaked, crying, "His name is Wulf. Short for Wulfric. Take him to the ward; they will look after him." Even though I had seen many deaths in my time, it was still depressing to see the mother of a helpless baby dying to protect him from the fire.

She held the little boy out to me, and I took him in my arms just before she crumpled onto the floor. She was dead. Suffocated from the smoke, most likely. I held the baby inside my jacket, my only concern was getting him to safety, with disregard of my own. I barged through the flames and managed to get outside.

I was met by the man in the cloak, who seemed bewildered as to how I survived. My vampiric endurance had been stretched to the absolute limit, and I crumpled to the ground just as I held out the baby to the man, who luckily managed to catch it.

**So, guys, what did you think? This story is going to be mainly in Darren Shan's point of view, but with places and mostly characters from Ranger's Apprentice. Please review, even if you do not have an account on this site, you can still leave an anonymous one. Oh, and, if it is not already up, chapter one will be up very soon.**


	2. Somewhat Of A Hero

**So here it is, chapter one. I need reviews on this folks, whether you think it was such a great idea you wet yourself in excitement, or whether you think it was so bad you got depressed so much so that you went to listen to Justine Bieber. If you like ranger's apprentice go check out my other stories.**

**Also, please tell me if you think 'Somewhat Of A Hero' makes sense, or whether you think it should be 'A Hero Somewhat' or something of the like. I'm not TOO great with my grammar.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story, except for most of the events which occur and the plot line and possibly some OCs if I can be bothered with them.**

Somewhat Of A Hero

I awoke to find myself on a bed in a log cabin, the man in the cloak from the inn sitting in the chair next to me.

"Ah, you're awake. That was quite a feat you accomplished back there. You're somewhat of a hero to the townsfolk," he said, cheerfully. I grinned sheepishly.

"I have a knack for that kind of thing."

"You must be a useful person to have around," he said, smiling.

"Yeah. I'm Darren Shan by the way. Who might you be?"

"Will Treaty, Ranger 50 of Redmont Fief." My attention pricked up at that. He was a ranger, he would know how I could become one.

"So what exactly is a ranger? I'm not from around here, I came to start a new life I suppose."

"Strange, you look Araluen. Well, your clothes don't. No offense."

"None taken."

After that he started telling me about how rangers are basically the kingdom's intelligence force, and the kingdom is split up into 50 fiefs, one for each ranger. They are also like the police, and special troops in a time of war. The used knives and a bow.

As he went on to explain about how they used stealth, and how they were known for being especially skilled with the bow, I found myself thinking that this would definitely be a job that a half-vampire such as myself would have an advantage in. How tough could looking after a fief and going on a few missions be compared to defeating the lord of the vampaneze? Hell, I'd even beaten destiny at his own game.

"How do I set about becoming a ranger?" He grinned.

"You would have to ask to be apprenticed to an existing ranger."

"Well, since you're the only ranger I've met; how about it? Can I become your apprentice?"

"Yes, I kind of guessed you would ask that. If you didn't, I would have asked you myself."

"What?" I was impressed by his skill of working things out. Also, I wanted to know why he would ask for me to be his apprentice.

"Well, I've been looking for a first apprentice; I didn't want someone too immature, and you showed real promise back there in the burning inn."

"Oh, ok." I was about to add that I was a half-vampire, but I decided to leave that out. I didn't know if they generally existed in this world so I didn't know how he'd take it, or if he even knew what I meant at all. "What happened to the baby?"

"My wife, Alyss, is taking care for him at the moment. Did his mother say anything before she died?"

"Yes, she said his name was Wulf, short for Wulfric, and to take him to the ward where he'd be looked after. I wondered if you could help with that? I have no idea what the ward even is, let alone where it is!"

"Yes of course, no problem. I myself was raised in the ward, and so was my wife in fact. He'll be able to make something of himself once he turns 15. The castle ward basically looks after children with no family left for them, at least there he will grow up with others his age. I'll go take him now, I needed to speak to the baron anyway. I need to inform him of what happened earlier."

"Ah, ok. What should I do?" He chucked me a longbow from the corner of the room, along with a quiver of arrows.

"See if you can work out how to use that," he chuckled, "we normally start apprentices of with smaller recurve bows but looking at you I'd say you can handle it."

I took the bow outside to the target area and set about shooting. I did well, considering I wasn't allowed to use missile-firing weapons as a vampire. However, I don't think our laws mattered so much in this world, especially considering that I'm doubting the even existence of other vampires here. There'd better not be any vampaneze either.

After a while, I got bored, so I went to speak with Will's wife. I went inside and saw her, an elegant, tall, beautiful woman, she looked quite strong and intelligent too.

"Hi," I said, "I'm your husband's new apprentice." She smiled.

"I heard about you," she said, her smile most definitely genuine, "that was quite some feat you pulled off back at the inn, you're somewhat of a hero. Most people would have either been too scared or died." My ears started turning pink.

"Yeah, well-" I said, cutting myself short. I was about to tell her that I was a vampire, but I didn't for the same reason I didn't tell Will – I wasn't sure how she'd react; whether she'd be scared or wouldn't know what they are. We talked for a while, and I spent a while just sitting, waiting for Will to get back, so the real training could commence.

**Sorry that it's extremely short but it can get boring writing these filler/introductory chapters, and I have another, much more fun story to write. It's a purely Ranger's Apprentice one. The Legend of Raven. Go check it out.**


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